Tagged: artists

One of the many joys of my childhood was coming downstairs for breakfast on a lazy Sunday and seeing the newspaper parceled out for each family member. My dad got the front pages – the major headlines and serious stuff. My brother always started with the Sports section, which he split with my mom between bites of cereal or an Eggo waffle or a big fluffy cinnamon roll baked fresh from the Farmers Market.

And me? I got to start with the Comics.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Calendar section for Arts news and the “Lifestyle” section for the op-eds. Chris Erksine’s weekly column in the LA Times was a staple in my repetoire, and the candor with which he and other columnists (in what I deemed the more “cool” and “down-to-earth” sections of the paper as a young reader) wrote about their small yet mighty life experiences was for sure an influence on my speaking and writing style.

But I found that my tween-ish mind could learn way more from the Comics section than any other part of the newspaper. In just six or so pages of newsprint, I could dive into different worldviews, laugh at jokes that I might not have been deemed “marure enough” to understand IRL, and – my favorite – watch characters, in bite-sized vignettes, put words to what every single adult around me was thinking and not saying. As a highly sensitive person and an empath to the core, I could often feel what adults around me felt. I just wasn’t always able to put it into easily understandable terms. How could I, if no one else around me was even validating that these feelings existed?

What’s more, *I* felt those feelings, too. Stress. Loneliness. Awkwardness. Through comics, I could watch these characters morph and evolve week after week right along with me. They helped me wrap my head around a world that was sometimes a bit overwhelming, and even got me seeing – laughing – at the absurdity of so much of it.

When I think of “The News” migrating from the page to the screen, I always feel a pang of sadness. Yes, of course, because of the value of the printed word…but also because of the immense pleasure of the Sunday comics and the parceled-out paper sections at the breakfast table. The newspaper, and particularly the Comics section helped shape me as not just a writer and artist but as a full human being.

Which is why when I started to discover the vast amount of cartoonists and illustrators on Instagram, my heart felt like it had been reunited with a childhood bestie. But better – because the bulk of the cartoonists I was finding myself drawn to were WOMEN.

The one gripe I have about the Comics section of my youth is how male-dominated it was. Baby Blues, Zits, Mutts, and Momma were my go-tos. When Calvin and Hobbes ran its last strip, I cried. But rarely did any characters look like me sans a token mom or female sidekick – and very rarely was there a woman in the byline. If I wanted a female point of view I really only had Cathy to turn to (who was a badass. for the record).

Today, there are countless female cartoonists and illustrators on Instagram creating witty, poignant work that is HIGHLY relatable whether you’re a woman or not. Their bravery to use their art to tackle mental health issues, take a stand for causes they believe in, and help their followers understand the nuances of what makes each person unique toes the line between art and activism.Their boldness helps me, and others like me, be bold by boiling things down to images that make us FEEL.

I might not have a breakfast table decorated with parceled-out newspaper sections and words and ideas just waiting to be discovered, but I love that social media has allowed the Comics section back into my life – and, what’s more, a brand new Comics section that looks a lot more LIKE my life.

Here are five female Instagram cartoonists and illustrators I’m loving – and think you will, too:

Marzi from Introvert Doodles is the one that started it for me. Her cartoons are always a high point in my day, and get me shouting out “ME TOO!” more times than I can count. But silently, because #introvert. Unless I’m alone. Then out loud. I honestly don’t have adequate words to describe how much I love Introvert Doodles…so go check her out yourself to see what I mean.

Hannah Daisy of @makedaisychains is a mental health activist who uses her #boringselfcare series to remind us all – whether we’re struggling with an illness or are feeling down in the slumps – that no act of self care is too small. She’s helped me “just clean the dishes” or “just do the laundry” multiple times. Because sometimes, those “justs” can feel a lot more than that.

I’m obsessed with Mari’s adorable, quirky, uber-positive (but never saccharine) illustrations. Every time an illustration of hers pops up in my feed, I’m reminded of how many little things there are to smile about – and how many of those little things aren’t really so little at all.

@SarahAndersenComics The comic strips that Sarah Andersen of Sarah’s Scribbles (aka @sarahandersoncomics) draws remind me the mosts of the comics I LOVED as a kid – but even better. Sarah tackles anxiety, periods, dating, and the thoughts we’re all thinking but rarely say out loud. And…her comics make me snort-laugh. Which is very important.

Okay, so Kimothy Joy’s work isn’t so much cartoons or comics as it is illustrations and art. But I love her so much, I couldn’t leave her out of this mix. Her gorgeous paintings and drawings are the perfect merger of art and activism, sharing the wise words of women along with artwork that will make your heart sing. New writing goal? Write something worthy of a Kimothy Joy quote illustration.

NOW YOU:What other female cartoonists, illustrators, and artists are you loving? Who else should our WANT community be following on Instagram? Tell me in the comments below!

To those of us who have struggled with eating disorders, disordered tendencies, whatever you want to call them – many times the portrayal of eating disorders on tv and in film can hit closer to fiction than reality. They’re shown as what people think they’re like instead of what they’re actually like. They’re danced around and treated like cardinal sins, when in the moment a, say, binging episode, feels less like a stop-the-presses plot moment and more like a reaction akin to laughing or crying. Hell, from the outside, it can even look humorous.

Jessie Kahnweiler is at the front of the pack when it comes to the marriage of brutal honesty and brazen humor – a brilliant juxtaposition giving a voice to women’s experiences and issues normally pushed under the table.

In her Sundance-acclaimed short series The Skinny, Jessie plays herself, telling her own story of a fledgling YouTube star suffering from bulemia. Written and directed by Jessie herself (plus produced by Transparent/Six Feet Under’s Jill Soloway and Refinery29, where the entire series is available…nbd to all), The Skinny is darkly comedic and brutally honest.

As someone who’s struggled with eating issues, it’s like a deep, refreshing exhale to see them portrayed as a “normal” part of someone’s life (although in reality it’s anything but) instead of one uber-dramatic scene/plot point after the other. Lord knows when I was restricting, binging, portioning off 1/2-cup bags of All-Bran in my dorm room, etc, none of it felt like a dramatic climax. It felt like a routine part of my life. And eventually, like I life I realized I so desperately wanted to break free from.

And that’s what Jessie does: she depicts the life of a woman whose “normal” has gone so awry, it’s started to affect who she is out in the world.

Some parts of The Skinny are hard to stomach – no pun intended – but strangely enough (or not?), most of them aren’t the ED parts. They’re the parts when she’s dealing with her mother who knows needs mothering herself, when she’s getting torn apart by potential brand partners for being “too real” or being side-eye’dly told how “out there” her work is, when she’s hoping to be accepted and loved and it goes downhill fast. Because these feelings of self-consciousness and longing to be loved are universal: it’s just that someone with an eating disorder like bulemia deals with them differently.

What I love about Jessie is that she is somehow able to do the undoable. She is able to infuse wisdom and humor into tough topics without tearing down others or shutting people out in the meantime. She walks that fine line between self aware, self righteous, self sacrificing, and ever-so-slightly self deprecating so incredibly well, making her sketches and short films able to resonate on a level that sticks with you for the long haul. She tells her stories with humor – because as she noted in this awesome interview with Indiewire, her reality 100% includes humor.

She does not discount the seriousness of the issues at hand – rather, she brings a reality to them that might, in other hands, seem more like an over-dramatization. What Jessie does as a filmmaker and feminist is the exact opposite of over-dramatization: she uses humor as a gateway to shine the spotlight on issues we usually, as a culture, dance around. She’s telling the story not of her suffering, but ultimately of her road to recovery. And yes – humor played a part in that.

The more of us willing to be bold and tell our stories without giving into the temptation of shame, the better off we are as a whole. Girls. Transparent. Heck, most of us forget that even Sex And The City was shocking at the time! Some of these stories might not be easy to watch or easy to understand – but the point is not for it to be EASY to understand. The point is that these are stories of real women – women who differ from the mainstream media image of what a woman is, who most all of us are not but most all of us at some point think we should be.

These are women whose stories we’re all better off for hearing – and ultimately, with the help of women like Jessie opening the door to the work of radical empathy, better off for really, truly, deeply understanding.

What I love about myself (and why): That I’m not afraid to fail. Well…I am terrified to fail, but I do it anyway – on a daily basis.

What is your definition of “positivity?” Self-acceptance. Keeping it real with yourself and giving yourself a break.

When did you start to love yourself – did you have a self-love “turning point?” When I got into recovery for my eating disorder and realized that I am not the center of the universe and that perfection is not human.

How/where negative talk shows up in my life: When I feel overwhelmed with work and boys. When I don’t get enough alone time.

My favorite way to shift a negative into a positive: Write the shit out of it.

My top female role models: My Grandmothers Ruth and Lucille, Eleanor Roosevelt, and my older sister Lindsey – who is a nurse practitioner, mother, wife, runner, and totally rocked a belly button ring before it was cool.

Men can help women crush their negative talk patterns by… Giving us space to feel. To just be.

Advice I would give my… …4 year old self: Take advantage of nap time…14 year-old self: Don’t rush to have sex…24 year old self: Don’t fake orgasms – it helps no one!

5 Things, personal or professional, on my bucket list: Marry Drake. Create my own television show. Create foundation for young women to make movies about whatever they want. Be half as cool as my Grandma.

My best tip on self love: Breathe. Show up for your feelings. All of them.

Woah-man. This episode is a goodie. And a prime example of things happening exactly the way they’re supposed to, exactly when they’re supposed to.

Last year, I received a message in my inbox about a new documentary raising funds on Kickstarter. To be completely honest, I don’t usually pay super-close attention to Kickstarter…as there is just so much out there, I run the risk of being constantly overwhelmed with things and projects and causes I want to help bring to life.

But this one got under my skin.

A few years back, a documentary called Miss Representation came along and completely shook up (in a good way!) women everywhere. It was POWERFUL. I watched, rewatched, re-rewatched, and waited for more and more documentaries and films like this to start flooding into this huge wonderful gap that had just been discovered.

They didn’t.

There were a few gems along the way (see show notes), but still, I craved a documentary that shone a light on the kinds of women I longed to be like: ambitious, creative, purpose-driven people making a difference in the world. Even as I watched documentaries on other subjects I was interested in, I started to notice a startling pattern: the majority of experts featured, talked about, talking, etc…were men. Mostly white. Mostly older.

Where were the faces and voices of feminine strength, gusto, and diversity? Where were the examples of all ages being recognized for their talents and knowledge, not their demographic or years on this planet?

Dream, Girl is an upcoming documentary that tells the inspiring stories of female entrepreneurs and CEOs in order to empower the next generation of girl bosses to dream bigger. It’s the spotlight we’ve been searching for, the examples we’ve been craving, and the stories we’ve longed for for far too long.

All this is being produced by Komal Minhas, an Indo-Canadian film producer, writer, and investor. Komal’s company KoMedia Inc. is passionate about telling the stories/improving the lives of women and girls globally – and her latest gig producing and co-founding Dream, Girl with her business partner and DG director (and bona-fide girl boss badass) Erin Bagwell is about to make some serious waves.

In this episode, we talk about the sort of feminist renaissance we’re having at the moment and why this point in time matters, going big and making your dream your reality, the health challenge Komal’s been facing in the mist of producing this dream project and how to take care of yourself when things get tough, mentorship, being ballsy – and maybe my favorite part of this episode, making friends as an adult and the power of female friendships (I may or may not have cried a smidge during this part).

She is beautiful, inside and out, and even though this was literally our VERY first time talking, I already feel like I have a new friend. And I feel like that’s part of Komal’s magic – her magnetism, enthusiasm, and inclusive personality combined with a drive you can hear in her voice.

The film is set to release in the spring of 2016, but the amount of momentum behind this film right now is absolutely extraordinary. To some people it might make more sense to run this closer to the film, but I wanted to give you a first look so you can get on the action before it hits big and trust me, IT WILL HIT BIG.

Like this episode? Shoot me a comment below, leave a review on iTunes (the more reviews, the more Komal’s message is spread), share it on Facebook, tweet it out on Twitter, or post it on Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtags #WANTcast, #womenagainstnegativetalk, and/or #WANTyourself!

*rowan blanchard is 14, not 13. 14. but she said a lot of amazing things at 13. so it counts. so we’re not like 100% wrong.

I know that for me, coming down from the high that is the holiday season usually means turning inward, reflecting on the twelve months past, and gearing up for a whole new adventure. It can be a challenge to shift gears so suddenly, especially when the tree’s still up and there may or may not still be gingerbread men in the fridge calling my name (no comment). I love the holidays and hate for them to end… which is why it’s extra important for me to surround myself with things that remind me of who I am and where I’m going in order to prep for an intention-filled new year.

Blooming Lotus Jewelry is a brand that specializes in just that: mala beads that each carry a special meaning and intention. Think of a mala as a wearable resolution. Malas have been used for centuries to help their owners set intentions, meditate in the moment and get in touch with what they truly want to manifest in their lives.

I’ve been looking for a mala for what seems like eons, and the one I got from Blooming Lotus for my birthday could not have been more appropriate. I was four days away from leaving my job and going off on my own, just WANT and I, and I’d also just gotten some big news about the year ahead. Basically, my head was spinning and I wasn’t quite sure if it was excitement, birthday cake, or fear of the unknown. Just wearing my mala makes me feel more grounded in who I am, and gives me a visual reminder to keep my daily intentions in check – quite the feat for just a little string of beads.

cred: Blooming Lotus

I recently sat down with Blooming Lotus’ lovely founder Jennifer Ciraulo on The Chalkboard to find out more about the malas I love so much – and how you can DIY your own for the brand new year. Because I’m a sucker for personalized gear, and it doesn’t get much more personal than this. A bubble of bright energy, I’m so lucky to have Jenn in my life and her malas to help remind me how much awesomeness women are putting out into the world right now – all of you included.

WOMEN AGAINST NEGATIVE TALK: What’s the significance of 108 beads?

JENNIFER CIRAULO: It is said that there are 108 reasons why 108 is a sacred number. A few:-It is said that there are 108 energy lines that converge to form the heart chakra. -It is said that there are 108 Indian Goddess names -The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth -There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet…each having a masculine and feminine (Shiva and Shakti). 54 times 2 is 108. -In astrology, silver is thought to represent the moon…the atomic weight of the silver is 108.

WANT: What is the Guru bead?

JC: The Guru bead represents your teacher(s) in life and also the teacher within yourself. During a Japa meditation cycle, this is where you pause, reflect and give thanks to your teachers and the teacher within you. If you choose to do another cycle of meditation, you reverse the direction and never cross over the Guru bead as that would be seen as stepping on your teacher.

WANT: How can I meditate with my mala?

JC: Mala beads can be used to help keep count of your mantras during what’s called a Japa meditation cycle. During Japa meditation, you recite your mantra on each bead, going around the entire mala to reach 108 repetitions of that mantra. Through Japa meditation, you will become more aware of your intentions.

Your mala is a physical reminder of your intention! You will be surprised how attached you will be to your mala and the energy it brings. Sometimes when life gets crazy, you need to bring it back to you! Wear your mala, meditate with your mala or place it in a special place as a reminder of your intentions, dreams and where you want to go. Wear your intention and let it support your soul. They are gentle reminders that will keep you feeling like you!

More from Jenn:

Before you choose a mala or make your own: Give thought to what meaning you want for your mala so you can choose the appropriate gemstone. Think about where you are in your life at this present moment and also where you want to be. What are you dreams? Choose gemstones that align with you! For example, are you looking for love or does your heart need healing, do you want to be able express yourself better or communicate your needs, do you need grounding, confidence, or creative energy, etc.?

Want to make one? This version is a hand-knotted tassel mala but you can choose the 108 beads that fit your intention. There is a lot of labor that goes into a hand-knotted mala. Expect to spend 1 to 1.5 hours or more if this is your first time making a mala:

Step 1:Gather 110 inches of cord. Snip ends of cord on an angle as best you can. Use Crazy Glue to make both ends pointy and needle-like; gently rolling between your fingers, being very mindful not to glue your fingers together! Loop cord through tassel, making sure both sides of cord are equal in length. String both ends of the cord through the guru bead. Slide guru bead down toward tassel. Optional: Add a tiny spacer bead on each cord and slide to the top of Guru bead.

Please read through remaining steps before continuing so you know what’s to come. This will prevent any errors and avoid any unknotting and backtracking.

Step 2:Adding beads & knotting: Note: each side will have 54 mala beads, plus the optional counter beads if you have chosen to add them. Make a knot on top of each bead, sliding the knot as close as possible to the bead. Add a bead. Knot tightly above the bead. Add a bead. Knot. Repeat. *If you have chosen to add counter beads (optional), please see step below. If you chose not to use counter beads, your final knot will be exactly between the 54 beads on each side of mala (at nape of the neck).

*Optional counter/marker beads: Shown in these photos are counter beads located at the 18th and 54th stations. There are other options, but for this mala, we will place counter beads at the 18th and 54th stations.

Step 3:One side of mala: add 18 beads and 18 knots. Add one counter bead and one knot. Then continue with 36 more beads and 36 knots, which will put you exactly at ½ of the mala. Add one counter bead and a knot (this is the counter bead that will be at the nape of the neck). You have completed ½ of the mala.

Step 4:Other side of mala: add 18 beads and 18 knots. Add one counter bead and one knot. Then continue with 34 beads (note 34 beads… you’ll see why in a moment) and 34 knots. At this point you should have only two beads left. Last step is the final knot. (Insert 54 beads on each side, plus optional counter bead collage.)

Step 5: Final knot: Add one bead on EACH cord end. Knot between these two beads. Repeat the knot one more time so it’s secure. Add a dab of fabric cement glue to the knot on all sides. Snip excess cord.

Step 6:Wrap your arms around your body and squeeze: Congratulations! You just finished your first mala and deserve a hug.

*For tips on how to cleanse your mala, head over to TCM for more…
*This isn’t a sponsored post – but even if it was, I only shout out the things, people, brands, and ideas I truly love on a deep level.

Ben is, without question, a dream guest and the perfect man to kick off this new year of brilliant WANT Women and Men. Not only were we able to kick off jamming about one of my favorite topics – gender and the beauty/strength in our innate differences – but we really went there when it comes to what happens when you hit what feels like rock bottom and where you go from there.

We also talk service, judgement, how to forgive yourself when forgiveness feels hardest – and, as we get into his AMAZING organization Urban Confessional – why it is that listening is key to changing the world. I’ll just leave this here:

Heads up! We’re giving you a challenge at the end of this pod – comment below or hit us up on social media to add your voice to the mix.

Like this episode? Shoot me a comment below, leave a review on iTunes (the more reviews, the more Ben’s message is spread), share it on Facebook, tweet it out on Twitter, or post it on Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtags #WANTcast, #womenagainstnegativetalk, and/or #WANTyourself!

Today’s guest is Negin Singh, the Founder and Artistic Director ofcARTel: Collaborative Arts LA, and currently the Director of Inspiration (real title) for top Augmented Reality developerDAQRI. She’s been featured on the White House Blog, spoken for the big-wigs at places like NASA, and was named one of the top 30 Indian Entrepreneurs under 30 by India Current Magazine.

If you’ve ever wanted to create something in your life – whether it’s theater, a business, a product, whatever – you KNOW how many hoops there are to jump through and how often it is that the good stuff never gets out into the world simply because people don’t have the resources or funds to let their extraordinary talent or vision live.

As you’ll hear from Negin, cARTel was formed to solve that problem and take away those barriers that usually end up preventing really fantastic art from every even happening. They’ve put on critically acclaimed concerts, film festivals, circus and theater events, live radio shows, spoken word performances, art installations…most of which have been held in unexpected places like parks, vintage stories, pool parties, living rooms, and pretty much any place that’s anything BUT traditional.

Back to DAQRI – if you’re anything like me, you read the words “Augmented Reality” and thought…what? Basically, as Negin taught me, AR is where technology meets the “real world.” Think Google Glass and projects like that. The fact that Negin is the leader when it comes to creating such literally life-changing, visionary projects absolutely blows my mind.

Negin is actually a friend of mine from college. I’ve had the honor of watching her grow and flourish for the last decade and completely shift the way others think about what it means to CREATE. What’s more, is that every step of the way, she’s championed other artists, other woman, and even when we were competing for the same roles, she never let me forget what a joy it was just to be “it it” together.

In this episode, we talk about body image and fitness experiments, Negin’s tweendom in Dubai (and her most embarrassing childhood memory), capitalizing on what makes you different, recognizing your privilege, and how she turned her frustration with the system she was supposed to prescribe to into a movement so big that their annual music festival got called out by a certain “-chella” festival ;)

We also talk about not fitting in, not following rules, and about how you really don’t have to have a degree or background in something in order to succeed at it.

If you’re a creative of ANY type, you’ve ever felt different, or you’ve ever wondered how you’re going to get your message out into the world, I think you’re going to really resonate with Episode 003.

Like this episode? Shoot me a comment below,leave a review on iTunes (the more reviews, the more Negin’s message is spread), share it onFacebook, tweet it out onTwitter, or post it onInstagram. Be sure to use the hashtags #WANTcast, #womenagainstnegativetalk, and/or #WANTyourself!